Chapter 47: Swallowing the Heavens
Apricot Immortal offering a toast came as a slight surprise to Yu Qiye.
At that moment, however, he thought of Apricot Immortal centuries later—when she would attempt to marry the Tang Monk and obstruct his journey to the West.
"With my high aspirations, how could the Holy Monk lack the inclination to condescend?"
Yet later on, when the Tang Monk's disciples arrived, Apricot Immortal ultimately met a tragic end with her roots severed and her life extinguished.
"What a pity, what a sigh."
Shaking his head almost imperceptibly, Yu Qiye dismissed the thought.
...
After a long while, seeming three parts drunk, Yu Qiye bade farewell to the Flood Dragon King and headed toward a side hall.
"Get some good rest, my brother, haha."
The Flood Dragon King arranged for a clam maiden to guide the way.
"Very well, thank you for the trouble, Elder Brother Flood Dragon."
Yu Qiye said with utmost courtesy.
However, the moment he stepped out of the main hall, his slightly swaying posture suddenly straightened, and the hazy look of intoxication vanished entirely from his face.
Inability to hold one's liquor was, after all, merely an excuse.
His sole desire was to cultivate and then promptly integrate his new golden trait: The Great Roc's Ultimate Speed.
Shortly afterward, deep within a side chamber.
"Stand guard for me."
Yu Qiye instructed.
"Yes, Great King."
Qingqiu Xue kept watch outside the door.
Boom!
With a sudden roar, Yu Qiye, sitting cross-legged inside the side chamber, experienced a violent shudder throughout his entire body.
A profound and wondrous sensation surged into his mind.
In a trance, he beheld a golden roc resembling a streak of lightning as it darted deep into his sea of consciousness.
This golden roc was unimaginably majestic.
Its fierce eyes flashed like the sun and the moon, and its beak, hard as steel, curved like an iron hook.
Its wings, akin to divine swords, danced in the air, releasing a torrential downpour resembling fire from the gaps of its golden-bladed plumage.
It was both terrifying and ferocious.
"Is this the Golden Roc?"
Yu Qiye's heart trembled.
Yet, at that very instant, Yu Qiye felt a surge of intense heat erupting from within his body.
*Screech.*
With a sudden cry, a three-legged bird engulfed in blazing flames burst forth from his sea of consciousness.
This was the Three-Legged Golden Crow.
It cried out loudly, summoning countless golden flames akin to molten gold that filled his entire sea of consciousness.
It completely enveloped the golden roc.
"Chirp, chirp, chirp..."
Amidst continuous, mournful cries, even the formidable golden roc melted away bit by bit.
Eventually, it transformed into a radiant pearl that merged into Yu Qiye's sea of consciousness.
At that precise moment,
[Ding, your Golden Crow bloodline concentration has significantly increased... reaching 5%...]
[Ding, you have integrated The Great Roc's Ultimate Speed (Gold), devouring Lightning Fast (Red), transforming them into a new trait—Swift Speed Bird (Gold).]
[Swift Speed Bird (Gold)—You possess the ultimate speed of heaven and earth, with a wingspan of one hundred thousand miles. Even against the legendary Golden-Winged Great Roc, the Phoenix, or the ancient Golden Crow, you can contend for supremacy in speed.]
"My speed now should be several times more exaggerated than the Roc Demon King's."
Yu Qiye smiled.
It had gone even smoother than he anticipated.
At this moment, had anyone gazed upon the twin wings behind his back, they would have undoubtedly witnessed countless ancient, rune-like patterns flickering incessantly.
However, ordinary demons, immortals, and Buddhas could not perceive these manifestations.
Only because Yu Qiye possessed the Innate Divine Eyes was he barely able to catch a glimpse of them.
Presumably, this was the reason he had been dubbed the "Swift Speed Bird."
...
Time slowly drifted by, and in the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.
Throughout this half-month, none of the demons had departed.
Such a rare gathering called for uninhibited drinking.
On this particular day, deep within a massive mountain on the mainland not far from the Wave-Overturning Palace.
"Roar..."
A lion's roar shook the heavens and the earth.
Amidst the astonished gazes of countless demons, a demon with the head of a lion actually lifted an entire towering mountain.
"Heavenly Crow King, receive my blow!"
It was the Lion-Camel King.
Having nothing better to do, he intended to spar with Yu Qiye.
Yet, his raw strength genuinely shocked the assembled demons.
A towering mountain—he lifted it as easily as he pleased.
Boom!
The sky seemed to tremble.
The earth shook.
Even Yu Qiye narrowed his eyes.
Looking up, he saw a pitch-black expanse; the entire sky appeared to be filled by this colossal mountain.
"This Brother Lion-Camel possesses truly terrifying physical strength."
"Still, he probably won't be able to hit the Heavenly Crow King. The Heavenly Crow King's speed is no joke."
"Indeed."
The Flood Dragon King, the Macaque King, and even the Bull Demon King and other demon kings discussed among themselves not far away.
To be honest, none of them favored the Lion-Camel King.
After all, the Heavenly Crow King's speed was known to all demons.
No matter how astonishing your divine strength might be, or how many mountains you could lift, landing a hit on the Heavenly Crow King was immensely difficult.
One could even say it was impossible.
However, at that moment, the Monkey King suddenly spoke up:
"Brother Heavenly Crow probably won't dodge."
As if responding to the Monkey King, Yu Qiye simply stood there quietly.
This was a spar.
It was only about determining superiority, not life or death.
If he were to dodge the Lion-Camel King's strike, he would inevitably become the laughingstock of the other demon kings.
Therefore...
"Hoo..."
Exhaling deeply, Yu Qiye narrowed his eyes slightly.
Boom!
A sudden tempest stirred within the depths of his gaze.
He slowly raised his hands, as if intending to support the entire sky.
Boom, boom, boom...
Successive deafening roars caused many demon kings to vibrate with shock.
In their startled sight, countless violent gales gathered and intertwined.
In mere moments... tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even more wind blades manifested around Yu Qiye.
"Die."
With a fierce shout resembling thunder, thousands of wind blades formed an epoch-making tempest that soared into the sky, violently colliding with the falling mountain.
"Rumble, rumble..."
Continuous explosions echoed as the mountain steadily fractured, but an even greater number of wind blades were simultaneously worn away.
At that moment, the Bull Demon King, the Roc Demon King, and several other sharp-eyed demon kings suddenly narrowed their eyes.
"That is?"
Amidst voices of astonishment, they all noticed a figure shooting upward into the sky.
It was Yu Qiye.
His wings enveloped his entire body, and then his whole form began to spin, stirring up a towering tornado that charged straight toward the mountain.
Boom!
With a cataclysmic explosion, the mountain, already shattered for the most part, could no longer hold together and violently disintegrated.
Availing himself of this momentum, Yu Qiye closed in right before the Lion-Camel King.
No words were spoken.
Nothing else mattered.
All that remained was Yu Qiye swinging his right wing outward like a sharp blade, pointing straight at the Lion-Camel King's neck.
"I admit defeat."
The Lion-Camel King was quite straightforward.
"You flatter me."
Cupping his fists in a polite gesture, Yu Qiye's lips curled into a subtle arc.
He had acquired another fine trait.
Regrettably, however, this was not the golden trait—Ten-Direction Divine Strength.
Instead, it was a red trait—Devour the Heavens.
[Devour the Heavens (Red)—Open your mouth to draw in the breath of life, swallowing the heavens and the earth! Enables continuous refinement of the stomach into a self-contained domain.]
This was an extremely ferocious ability.
However, Yu Qiye did not think much of it.
"Against those below your realm, it is ferocious to the extreme."
"But when facing peers, or those far exceeding your own strength, attempting this is simply seeking death."
This reminded Yu Qiye of the future Monkey King and Princess Iron Fan.
Princess Iron Fan was extraordinarily powerful and possessed supreme treasures for self-protection; even the Monkey King could not defeat her in a short time.
Yet who would have thought that the Monkey King would burrow directly into Princess Iron Fan's belly... causing her to suffer excruciating agony.